Click on images to enlarge Church of St. Philip Neri (Roman Catholic) 3025 Grand Concourse at 202nd Street The Bronx, N.Y. 10468 http://church.stphilipneribronx.org/ Organ Specifications: ► III/34 Schantz Organ Company, Op. 2200 (2001) ► III/50 Casavant Frères, Op. 2599 (1960) • unknown (1933) ► II/15 Henry Erben (1853) – moved (c.1899) The Church of St. Philip Neri was founded in 1898 in the Bedford Park area of the Bronx. In the same year the cornerstone was laid for the present church; the neo-Gothic building of stone was completed in 1899 and dedicated in May 1900. Its first parishioners were Italian immigrants; the men worked on the Jerome Park Reservoir project and built the church with stone they quarried at the reservoir and hauled to the church site after work. Later the congregation was largely Irish. Both groups still are represented, along with large numbers of Hispanic and Asian members as well as African-Americans. In the early morning of December 4, 1912, a fire broke out in the library and meeting room located in the basement. After a passer-by rang the bell of the adjoining rectory, two priests hurriedly dressed and rushed into the church, saving the Host and Chalice at the altar, and vestments from the vestry. Firemen succeeded in saving a costly stained glass window in the rear of the church, and also managed to remove several pieces of statuary, but the altar was entirely destroyed. On the evening of June 15, 1997, another major fire, believed to have started in the sacristy, devastated the century-old church. Although the fire was later determined to be unsuspicious, it nonetheless burned the slate roof and gutted the sanctuary. The organ and its pipes were ruined, and the painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe, donated to the Hispanic parishioners who succeeded the parish's Italian and Irish immigrants, was lost. Not destroyed were the 14 paintings of the Stations of the Cross that were out for restoration. The congregation was determined to rebuild their church exactly as before, but with a few improvements: the original high ceiling, covered in a previous renovation, was opened, and new stained-glass dormer windows were installed in the roof, depicting the Holy Family, SS. Peter and Paul and the life of St. Philip Neri. The baptistry on the right side of the sanctuary has a font and an immersion pool. Along with the outer church walls, the original stained-glass windows were saved, and the marble reredos, the pulpit, and statues were restored. After several years of reconstruction, the rebuilt 650-seat church was dedicated on January 6, 2002 by Edward Cardinal Egan.
Schantz Organ Company Orrville, Ohio – Opus 2200 (2001) Electro-pneumatic action Solid-State combination action 3 manuals, 46 registers, 28 stops, 34 ranks Following the 1997 fire that destroyed the previous organ and most of the church, the Schantz Organ Company was commissioned to build a new organ. The encased organ is located in the transept, and features a movable three-manual drawknob console.                 Great Organ (Manual II) – 61 notes, unenclosed 16   Violone 73 4   Koppelflöte 61 8   Principal 61 2   Fifteenth 61 8   Violone (fr. 16') — 1 1/3   Mixture IV ranks 244 8   Bourdon 61  8   Trumpet 61 4   Octave 61     Tremulant                   Swell Organ (Manual III) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Geigen 61 2   Plein Jeu IV ranks 244 8   Voix Celeste (TG) 54 16   Basson-Hautbois 73 8   Flûte Traversière 61  8   Trompette 73 4   Principal 61 8   Hautbois (fr. 16') — 4   Flûte Octaviante 61 4   Clairon (fr. Trpt.) — 2 2/3   Nasard Harmonique 61 8   Voix Humaine preparation 2   Octavin 61     Tremulant   1 3/5   Tierce 61                     Choir Organ (Manual I) – 61 notes, enclosed 8   Rohr Flute 61 8   Cromorne 61 8   Dolcan 61     Tremulant   8   Dolcan Celeste (TC) 49 8   Trumpet GT 4   Fugara 61         2   Gemshorn 61     Zimbelstern                    Pedal Organ – 32 notes 32   Acoustic Bass derived  4   Open Flute (fr. Subbass) — 32   Resultant derived 32   Grand Cornet derived 16   Open Wood 32 16   Double Trumpet (ext. GT) 12 16   Violone GT 16   Basson SW 16   Subbass 56 8   Trumpet GT 8   Octave 44 8   Trompette SW 8   Violone GT 4   Clairon SW 8   Bass Flute (fr. Subbass) — 4   Hautbois SW 4   Choralbass (fr. Octave) —
Casavant Frères, Limitée St. Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada – Opus 2599 (1960) Electro-pneumatic action 3 manuals, 45 registers, 38 stops, 50 ranks In 1960, Casavant Frères built a new organ for St. Philip Neri Church. The main organ was located against the South and West walls of the South transept, and the Antiphonal organ was in the rear gallery. This organ and the church were destroyed by fire on June 15, 1997.                 Great Organ (Manual I) – 56 notes, unenclosed     Bogenwerk       Mittelwerk   8   Prinzipal 56 8   Bordun 56 4   Oktav 56 4   Rohrflöte 56 2 2/3   Rauschpfeife II ranks 112 2 2/3   Nasat 56 1 1/3   Mixtur IV ranks 224 2   Blockflöte 56         1 3/5   Terz 56             Chimes [from previous organ]                   Positiv Organ (Manual II) – 56 notes 8   Stillgedackt 56 1   Sifflöte 56 4   Spillflöte 56 4/5   Terzian II ranks 112 2   Gemshorn 56 1/4   Zimbel III ranks 168 1 1/3   Quintflöte 56 8   Krummhorn 56             Swell Organ (Manual III) – 56 notes, enclosed 8   Salicional 56 2   Waldflöte 56 8   Salicional Celeste (TC) 44 16   Fagott [half-length] 56 8   Rohrflöte 56 8   Trompette 56 4   Gemshorn 56 4   Schalmei 56 4   Nachthorn 56     Tremulant                   Pedal Organ – 32 notes 16   Gemshorn 32  8   Rohrbass SW 16   Gedacktpommer 32 4   Koppelfloete 32 16   Rohrbordun (ext. SW) 12 2 2/3   Quartgedackt II ranks 64 8   Prinzipal 32 16   Fagott SW 8   Bordun GT 8   Fagott SW 8   Spitzfloete 32 4   Fagott SW                 Antiphonal Organ – 56 notes (played normally on Positiv manual) 8   Prinzipal 56 2 2/3   Rauschpfeife II ranks 112 4   Oktav 56 1 1/3   Mixture IV ranks 224                 Antiphonal Pedal Organ – 32 notes 16   Prinzipal 32 4   Super Oktav (fr. 8') — 8   Oktav 44                         Couplers     Great to Pedal   Antiphonal to Great     Antiphonal to Pedal   Swell to Positiv     Swell to Pedal   Great to Positiv     Positiv to Pedal   Antiphonal On     Swell to Great   Positiv Off     Positiv to Great   Cancel, Adjuster                 Adjustable Combination Pistons     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Great stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 affecting Swell stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 affecting Positiv stops     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4 affecting Pedal stops (toe studs only)     Pistons No. 1-2-3-4-5-6 Chancel Generals (duplicated by toe studs)     Pistons No. 1-2 Antiphonal Generals     Pistons No. 1-2 Tutti Generals (duplicated by toe studs)                 Reversible Pistons (duplicated by toe studs)     Great to Pedal   Antiphonal On     Antiphonal to Pedal   Positiv Off     Swell to Pedal   Full Organ I (transept division only)     Positiv to Pedal   Full Organ II (transept + Antiph.)                 Balanced Pedals     Swell Expression               Crescendo (not affecting Antiphonal)                   Indicator Lights     Wind       Full Organ II       Crescendo       Antiphonal On       Full Organ I       Positiv Off
Unknown Builder (1933) It can be presumed that a replacement organ was installed after the Henry Erben organ was junked in 1933. No further information or specifications are available for this organ.
Henry Erben New York City (1853) Mechanical action 2 manuals, 15 stops, 15 ranks The original organ in the first St. Philip Neri Church was a second-hand instrument acquired from St. Mary's Catholic Church in Rondout (now a part of Kingston), N.Y. This two-manual mechanical action organ was originally built in 1853 by Henry Erben of New York City; it was moved by Louis F. Mohr & Co., an organ service firm in the area. Mohr's files include the following specification (dated May 1916) in which stop names and manual and pedal compasses were typed. Handwritten entries state that the organ was "fr[om] St. Mary's RC, Rondout" and "Junked Oct 9-1933." Mohr also noted that the organ had a Kinetic blower installed. The Great Gamba was also written in by hand, perhaps indicating it was added at a later time (and possibly controlled by the now-unneeded Blower's Signal knob).                 Great Organ (Manual I) – 56 notes 8   Open Diapason 56 4   Night Horn 39 8   Gamba [original?] 56 3   Twelfth 56 8   Clarabella 39 2   Flageolet 56 8   St. Diapason Bass 17 8   Trumpet 56 4   Principal 56                         Swell Organ (Manual II) – 56 notes, enclosed 8   Open Diapason 39 8   Dulciana 39 8   Open Diapason Bass 17 4   Flute 39 8   St. Diapason 39 4   Violin 44 8   St. Diapason Bass 17 8   Hautboy 39                 Pedal Organ – 25 notes 16   Bourdon 25                         Couplers &c     Great and Swell   Tremolo     Pedal and Great   [Blower's signal]                 Pedal Movements     Balanced Swell Pedal     2 Combination Pedals on Great     2 Combination Pedals on Swell
Sources:      McDonnell, Claudia. "From the Ashes," Catholic New York (February 2002).      Mohr, Louis F. & Co. Specifications (May 1916) of organ in St. Philip Neri RC Church, Bronx. Courtesy Larry Trupiano.      Moss, Jordan. "St. Philip's 'Rises More Beautiful Than Ever'," Norwood News (Sep. 13-26, 2001).      "Priests Save Church Relics," The New York Times (Dec. 5, 1912).      Rohde, David. "From Charred Ruins, a Church Reborn," The New York Times (Jan. 5, 1998).      St. Philip Neri website: http://church.stphilipneribronx.org/      Schantz Organ Company. Stoplist of Schantz Organ, Op. 2200 (2001).      Scheer, Stanley. Factory Specification of Casavant Frères Organ, Op. 2599, August 5, 1959.      Shelley, Thomas J. The Bicentennial History of the Archdiocese of New York 1808-2008. Strasbourg: Éditions du Signe, 2007.      van Gelder, Lawrence. "In Ashes of Gutted Bronx Church, Community Sees Rebirth," The New York Times (June 17, 1997). Illustrations:      Casavant Frères, Lté. Archives. Casavant organ, Op. 2599 (1960). Courtesy Stanley Scheer.      Minuta Architecture, PLLC. Interior of present church.      Schantz Organ Company. Case of Schantz organ, Op. 2200 (2001).      Shelley, Thomas J. The Bicentennial History of the Archdiocese of New York 1808-2008. Exterior.
| NYC AGO Home Page | Back to NYC Organs List |